Between Two Worlds Read Online Free Page A

touched the brims of
their Stetsons to her. Delaney returned their greetings with a shy nod.
Sauntering past the White Dog Saloon, she heard robust laughter and the
plinking of piano keys coming from inside. Sensing inquisitive eyes upon her, she
glanced up and studied the half dozen young women who hung over the balcony
rail. Their faces were painted with heavy makeup and they wore nothing more
than tight corsets, silk stockings, and feather boas. They pointed and whispered
behind their hands, too.
    With her heart hammering, Delaney walked a couple more blocks
until she reached the far end of the street. She fixed her eyes on Quinn’s Boarding
House, the Methodist Episcopal Church and the East Side Primary School—and her
mind flew into a tailspin.
    What’s happening to me? This can’t be real. This has to be a
dream! I don’t remember walking into my apartment, but I must have, and I must
have fallen asleep.  Or maybe that little Irishman got us into an accident and
I was knocked unconscious. I’ll wake up any minute now, safe and sound in my
bed, and this weird dream will be over.
    She turned in a circle. The thick scent of jasmine perfume clung
to the air. The sweet tang of sweat and the sickening odor of ripe horse manure
filled her nostrils. She heard the rumble of wagon wheels, the clink of the
distant piano, and the laughter of children playing in the schoolyard.
    The hot sun seared the nape of her neck. Stumbling back into the
street, she knelt and scooped up a handful of dirt. As she crumbled it between
her fingers, dust spiraled into the air and tickled her nose. Her  heart
pounded with an insane rhythm . I can’t be imagining all of this.
These smells. These sounds. If I’m dreaming, this is the most realistic
dream I’ve ever had. If it’s not a dream, God help me, because that
means I’ve…I’ve…I don’t know what it means!
    Suddenly, it occurred to her. I’ve
stumbled onto a movie set. Of course! That has to be it!  Why didn’t I
realize it before? Lots of western movies are made in Arizona.
    Her stiff shoulders relaxed with the revelation, and she looked up
and saw a ball roll into the street. A towheaded young boy chased after it. His
mouth was open wide in an innocent laugh.
    The loud pop of a revolver went off nearby, followed by the
whinnies of horses somewhere down the road. Delaney’s head swiveled. She saw a
freight wagon pulled by a team of four horses stampeding straight for the
child. The gun undoubtedly had spooked them. She sprang up and screamed, “Get
out of the way, boy! Move!” Even from a distance, she could see the frantic driver
yanking on the reins, but his efforts to control the team were in vain. He
waved his arms and hollered for the child to move as the wagon barreled up the
road. There was nowhere for the driver to turn. As the wagon closed in, Delaney
could see resignation cloud the man’s face.  He must have realized there was
not a thing he could do to stop a tragedy from happening. Terrified screams of
women from somewhere behind her exploded in her ears.
    The boy stopped, whirled, and froze in the middle of the street.
His eyes fearfully fastened on the wild horses galloping toward him.
    Delaney kicked off her shoes, threw her purse to the ground, and
bolted into the road. She lunged and shoved the child hard, pushing him out of
harm’s way. The slipperiness of her nylon-clad feet caused her to lose traction
in the gravel road, and she fell flat. Sprawled face-first in the dirt, more
shrieks pierced her ears.
    The wagon!
    As she desperately tried to scramble to her feet in the tight
pencil skirt and slick pantyhose, her head turned, and she stared straight into
the crazed eyes of the beasts bearing down on her. Her whole world moved in slow
motion.
    She squeezed her eyes shut. If there ever was a good time to
wake up from this ridiculous dream, now would be the time!
    She opened her eyes and BAM! All the air was knocked out of
her lungs, as she was